Servicing device aggregates

• US 20040083262A1
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Trantow, Wayne D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A constellation is determined in reference to a particular combination of devices and/or software, some or all of which may be coupled with a network. A constellation addresses aggregate capabilities provided by a combination of devices and/or software available on the network. The network may define multiple constellations. Services are written for constellations, and the services may be pulled from external sources for use on the network. A server on the network, such as a service host, may coordinate and manage obtaining services from the external sources, and removing or disabling services for constellations no longer valid.

Claims

1. A method for a service host to obtain services from a service source, comprising:

determining a resource context, the determining based at least in part on monitoring communicative couplings of machines to a network;

transmitting the resource context to the service source; and

receiving from the service source a list of services determined with respect to the resource context, each service requiring selected ones of machines identified in the resource context.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying installed services associated with the service host; and

incorporating the installed services into the resource context.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a remote authorization over the network authorizing the service host to select the service from the collection of services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service host is communicatively coupled to multiple service sources, and the list of services includes services provided by the multiple service sources that are compatible with machines identified in the resource context.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupling between the service host and service sources includes the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the services have an associated cost.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a new device to the resource context when the new device is communicatively coupled with the network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the resource context as devices are communicatively coupled with, or decoupled from, the network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource context comprises those devices that were communicatively coupled with the network when the inspecting the network was performed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) to locate the service source.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an alert regarding the list of services received from the service source.

12. A method for a service source to provision a constellation of resources communicatively coupled with a first network, the method comprising:

receiving from a service host a resource context for the constellation of resources;

accessing service descriptions of services offered by the service source or other service sources communicatively coupled with the service source;

mapping the resource context against the accessed service descriptions to determine a service operable on the resource context; and

identifying the determined service to the service host.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the resource context is received over a second network different from the first network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the resource context is determined based at least in part on a monitoring of communicative couplings of machines to the network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein accessing service descriptions of services offered by the service sources comprises:

cataloging, prior to receiving the resource context, services provided by the service sources.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein accessing service descriptions of services offered by the service hosts sources comprises:

cataloging services provided by the service sources.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the resource context, querying a service catalog for descriptions of services currently offered by the service sources.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a request to use the determined service; and

facilitating access to program code required to use the determined service.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein facilitating access to program code comprises a selected one of:

providing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to the program code;

or

providing a Web Service URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) for accessing and downloading the program code.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein facilitating access to program code comprises:

copying the program code from a storage containing the determined service; and

sending the program code to the service host.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

charging the service host a fee associated with the determined service.

22. An article comprising a machine-accessible media having associated data for a service host to obtain services from a service source, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

determining a resource context, the determining based at least in part on monitoring communicative couplings of machines to a network;

transmitting the resource context to the service host;

receiving from the service source a list of services determined with respect to the resource context, each service requiring selected ones of machines identified in the resource context; and

selecting a service from the collection of services.

23. The article of claim 22 wherein the service host is communicatively coupled to multiple service sources, and the list of services includes services provided by the multiple service sources that are compatible with machines identified in the resource context.

24. The article of claim 22 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

updating the resource context as devices are communicatively coupled with, or decoupled from, the network.

25. The article of claim 22 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

utilizing Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) to locate the service source; and

sending an alert regarding the list of service sources or cataloging agents (brokers) found in the UDDI registry.

26. An article comprising a machine-accessible media having associated data for a service source to provision a constellation of resources communicatively coupled with a first network, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

receiving from a service host a resource context for the constellation of resources;

accessing service descriptions of services offered by the service source or service cataloging agents or brokers representing sources communicatively coupled with the service source;

mapping the resource context against the accessed service descriptions to determine a service operable on resources of the constellation; and

identifying the determined service to the source.

27. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving the resource context over a second network different from the first network.

28. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

determining the resource context based at least in part on a monitoring of communicative couplings of machines to the network.

29. The article of claim 26 wherein the data for accessing service descriptions of services offered by the service sources further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

cataloging, prior to receiving the resource context, services provided by the service sources.

30. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

cataloging services provided by the service sources.

31. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

responsive to receiving the resource context, querying the service sources for descriptions of services currently offered by the service sources.

32. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

receiving a request to use the determined service; and

facilitating access to program code required to use the determined service.

33. The article of claim 32, wherein the data for facilitating access to the program further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

providing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to the program code.

34. The article of claim 26 wherein the machine-accessible media further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing:

charging the source a fee associated with the determined service.